These days it seems it doesn’t take much to start feeling pressure in our lives. So how do we combat this?
You’ve just come home and you’re tired and stressed.
All you want is to hit that sofa and eat a handful of chocolate covered almonds.
More like a whole bag, to be honest.
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it doesn’t take much to add more pressure on yourself.
Even without feeling overwhelmed, we get bombarded with pressure from many directions. Even from ourselves.
Acknowledge the Pressure
Pushing it aside or pretending it doesn’t exist is no good for anyone, especially not you.
You know the saying, “The first step is admitting the problem?”
It’s true.
You may feel any of the following:
- Anxious
- Nervous
- Inadequate
- Stressed
- Useless
- Hopeless
The first thing is to realize and accept that you’re feeling this way.
Take a deep breath if you need to, then release it.
It can do wonders for you mind and body.
Now that you’ve accepted the way you’re feeling, it’s time to dive into the ways to move past these feelings and be okay in your present moment.
5 Most Effective Tactics To Stop Putting Pressure On Yourself
- Do Something Relaxing.
The best thing you can do when you’re feeling tired, overwhelmed and pressured is to do something that relaxes you.
- Have a cup of coffee
- Snuggle up on the sofa
- Dive into a hobby
- Go for a walk
- Play with your pet
- Read a book
- Do some coloring
- Plan an activity
Doing something that stimulates and excites the brain is great for relieving stress and pressure.
It can be the simplest thing and can have a huge impact on the wellbeing of your mind.
2. Zone in on Your Strengths.
When we put pressure on ourselves over a continuous period, we’re telling our mind that we can’t do it.
We put limiting beliefs into our mind that aren’t true.
Do any of these sound familiar?
- I’ll never get this assignment, I may as well just fail the class.
- It’s way to hard to run on the treadmill, why even bother?
- This blog set up is taking forever, is it even worth it?
Instead of looking at it from those angles, try a different approach:
- I don’t get this…yet.
- I love walking on the treadmill, so I’ll start there.
- Look how far you’ve come, don’t quit now!
When you adjust your thinking and combine that with zoning in on your strengths, you’re going to have a killer combo.
Not only will your tasks seem more doable, but you’ll be more motivated to improve without that pressure weighing you down.
3. Know Your Worth.
If you’re easily stressed out due to pressure you put on yourself, even pressure from others, remember your worth.
You are unique. There is not another person on the planet like you out there, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Yes, you can celebrate yourself!
It promotes so many positive things:
- Self-esteem
- Confidence
- Creativity
- Passion
- Self-care
- Kindness
When you focus on your own worth instead of trying to find it in other things or people, you’ll gain peace because you know you’re doing your best and that’s all that matters.
Plus, you get to pass on these great tactics and help someone else deal with the pressures in their life too.
4. Remember How Far You’ve Come.
The quickest way to start feeling down on yourself is to focus on what you still have to do.
It will add unnecessary stress that will only hinder you and make you want to give up.
Which is the opposite of what you want, right?
In my blogging journey, there’s been times where it’s been unbearably overwhelming.
Then one day I read a blogger’s suggestion to write down “all your wins.”
Basically, anything big or small (or in between) that’s a win in your journey, mark it down in your journal or notebook.
I started doing that and now when I start feeling that pressure again, I go back to that list.
- It reminds me how far I have come
- It keeps me focused on the overall picture
- It makes me feel proud that I haven’t given up
- It motivates me to keep pushing through
- It helps me practice gratitude
Do you have a “win list?”
If you don’t, start one today because it’s so worth it!
You could even keep it in the notes section of your phone if that’s easier.
Start keeping track and you’ll have ammo for the next time you feel pressure coming at you.
5. Believe in Yourself
If you rolled your eyes at this one, you’re forgiven. 😉
It’s only one of the most cliche statements out there, right?
It’s also true though!
I recently read on Instagram that success is 20 percent about knowledge/strategy, and 80 percent about mindset.
I don’t know about you, but I know for a fact that a key component when it comes to mindset is believing in yourself.
Everything you do flows out of that.
If you refuse to be kind to yourself and believe in yourself, you can’t even successfully tap into the previous four points we discussed above either.
If you don’t believe in yourself, you won’t:
- Do something relaxing
- Zone in on your strengths
- Know Your Worth
- Celebrate Your Wins
Sure, you will attempt to do these things, but they won’t be done wholeheartedly.
You’ll always hold yourself back, give in to the pressures around you and keep yourself from giving it your all.
So what are some ways to start believing in yourself?
- Stop comparing
- Remember that you are not what you do
- Be thankful for your life
- Spend time with positive people
- Develop your gifts, talents and skills
I hope these tactics to stop putting pressure on yourself will help you in your life and teach you how to most effectively deal with them.
It will vary person to person, of course, but these things have been a tremendous help to me and so I wanted to pass them on to you as well.
I’d love for you to save this for future reference, or even share it with a friend that could benefit from these tips!
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